Lot 19
Attributed to John Opie (1761-1807)
Lot 19 Details
Attributed to John Opie (1761-1807), British
MISS COOPER (FULL FACE, DARK HAIR WITH WHITE HEADDRESS SEATED THREE-QUARTER LENGTH IN A CHAIR WEARING A PINK DRESS WITH BLACK VEIL DRAPED OVER HER LEFT SHOULDER AND RIGHT ARM, A LANDSCAPE BEYOND WITH A BLUE CURTAIN AT RIGHT)
Oil on canvas; titled to the nameplate. Unsigned. Together with a hard cover book: “John Opie and His Circle” by Ada Earland, 1911.
30 x 25 in — 76.2 x 63.5 cm
Estimate $2,000-$3,000
Additional Images
Provenance:
Estate Collection, Hamilton, Ontario
Literature:
A portrait of “Miss Cooper” by Opie is cited in “The Hospital Nursing Supplement”, June 6, 1896, p. lXXXii. review of an exhibition of Reynold’s, Romney, Morland and Opie held at Messrs Dowdeswell’s Galleries, 162 Bond Street in 1896;
Ada Earland, “John Opie and His Circle”, Hutchison & Co., London, 1911, Ex-Libris Edna G. Young, in pencil
Note:
The review of the exhibition at the Dowdeswell’s Gallery describes this or a very similar portrait of “Miss Cooper” as follows:
“Among the portraits, John Opie’s “Miss Cooper” finds a prominent place, perhaps the most prominent in the gallery. It is three-quarter length canvas of a fine young lady, sister of Lady Waterpark. Being painted in the early nineteenth century, the dress, and its treatment, are suggestive of the epoch following closely on Sir Joshua (Reynolds). The vivid lifelike colouring of the face is masterly, as is also the delicate treatment of the texture of the veil which drapes the figure. It is a remarkably well-preserved picture, and shows John Opie at his best. [...] This was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1783”, Possibly Cat. No. 191 as: ‘Portrait of a Lady.’”
The canvas was relined in 1953 by Frank Worrall, Toronto, his mark with monogram initials and date inscribed in ink to the relined canvas verso.